1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a gene associated with increased galactose catabolism, and to a recombinant vector and microorganism containing the same. More particularly, the overexpression of the SNR84 gene is associated with increased galactose catabolism.
2. Description of the Related Art
With globally increasing concern about the exhaustion of resources and pollution of the environment by overuse of fossil fuels, the development of new and renewable alternative energies sources that stably and continuously produce energy are being considered. In the ongoing developments of such alternative energy resources, technology for producing energy from biomass has been receiving considerable attention.
In recent times, there has been considerable interest around the prospect of using algae as a source of biomass. An advantage of using algae is its abundance and rapid growth. Also, since algae consume carbon dioxide and exhaust oxygen for growth, they offer a potential solution to both energy production and pollution concerns. However, algae have not yet been produced on a large scale and used in a variety of applications.
Hydrolysates of biomass derived from red algae contain a large amount of galactose. Accordingly, the effective use of galactose abundant in the hydrolysates is the first step toward developing a biological process for converting the biomass hydrolysates derived from algae into useful materials, using yeast or other fermenting microorganisms.
However, while galactose can be catabolized by yeast present in nature, its uptake and metabolic rate is much lower than that of glucose.